Copyright 1994 PrairieSoft, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome to the DiskTop Demo Mini-Manual. Much of the information in this file is taken directly from the full DiskTop manual.
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DiskTop is a desk accessory that provides simple, yet powerful ways to locate and manage your files and hard disk(s).
This demo provides a 30 day working copy of DiskTop. The 30 day countdown begins the first time you launch the DiskTop demo on your Macintosh. The date that the demo will expire is given in the title bar of the DiskTop window.
The demo does not include the features and functions provided by DT Launch, a powerful file launching utility that provides fast access to your most used applications and documents. Several other useful utilities are also included in the full version of DiskTop.
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Requirements for DiskTop Demo
System Software
The full version of DiskTop can run on machines using System 6.0.4 or higher, but the DiskTop demo requires System 7 or higher.
Machine
The full version of DiskTop and this demo will run any Macintosh from the Macintosh Plus onward.
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Features and Benefits of DiskTop
DiskTop is like having the Finder available in a desk accessory. Many of the functions you perform in the Finder you can do using DiskTop. DiskTop is accessible from the Apple menu anytime you need to manipulate files, folders or disks.
DiskTop provides disk/volume information at a glance. DiskTop shows all disks or volumes you have mounted, the names, whether the disk is locked or unlocked, as well as the number of bytes of disk space that are used and unused. This simplifies things when searching for space to back up important files.
DiskTop users can move files with a single step. Need to move some files to make space on your disk? DiskTop allows you to do that without quitting the program you are using. You can easily move files to another disk and delete them from the original in one step using the "Move" command.
Use DiskTop to unmount, eject or rename disks. Easier and faster than using the Finder to do these chores, pressing Command-U, Command-E or Command-R works to unmount, eject or rename disks. You can also access DiskTop's Find window using the "Find" button or by pressing Command-F.
DiskTop's custom views let you focus on the information you want. You can adjust the size of the window with the Size and Zoom boxes and view the information in Normal format or in Technical format. Normal format shows the kind and size of files, while the technical format expands the kind and size information to provide type, creator, and data / resource fork sizes.
You can sort according to different criteria by clicking on the desired column headers. Or select one of the custom views and you can further modify the window. Hold down the Command and Option keys and use the mouse to resize, move or even remove column headers. You can name and save the custom format and switch between formats using the pop-up menu above the vertical scroll bar.
You can easily sort, copy, delete, move, rename and check sizes of files. The DiskTop view of the contents of a disk, volume or folder provides more information, more controls and faster operation than the Finder.
DiskTop's Find File feature will search according to 6 different criteria. Give the information you know about a file, tell DiskTop which drive or drives to search. DiskTop will find any and all files that match the criteria. It gives the path to the found file. You can retain a list of located files then redefine your criteria and keep searching. Once found, you can open the file.
The folders you use frequently can be listed in the Drives menu. The Drives menu in the DiskTop window, and in the Copy dialog box, the Move dialog box and the Make Alias dialog box includes a "Jump-to" submenu for each drive. Open any folder in the DiskTop window, pull down the Drive menu and select "Add (folder name)" and that folder will be added to that drive's Jump-to submenu, providing a fast route to the contents of that folder.
DT Launch keeps the applications and files you use most at your fingertips. (Provided with the full version of DiskTop-not with this demo.) If you are an average Macintosh user, you have more than a dozen applications installed, but you use five or less to handle your day-to-day computing. DT Launch and CEToolbox work together to keep them handy. They are available in the Apple menu. Additionally, you can configure CEToolbox to make the files in the DT Launch menu available under your cursor when you press some or all the modifier keys and the mouse button. You can also add documents you refer to or edit often.
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Installing DiskTop Demo
Warning: Before installing CEToolbox, check the Extensions folder in your System Folder to ensure that a version of CEToolbox newer than 1.6.5 is not already present. If a newer version is present, DO NOT copy the CEToolbox file provided with the DiskTop Demo to your computer. You want to use the newest version of CEToolbox. CEToolbox version 1.6.5 is provided with the DiskTop Demo.
Simply drag the DiskTop Demo icon to your System Folder icon. You will be asked if you want it stored in the Apple Menu Items folder. You do. Click "OK."
If needed (see warning two paragraphs above), simply drag the CEToolbox icon to your System Folder icon. You will be asked if you want CEToolbox stored in your Extensions folder. You do. Click "OK." If you install CEToolbox, you need to restart your computer before continuing.
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Launching DiskTop Demo
Simply select "DiskTop Demo" from the Apple menu.
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The DiskTop Window—First Glance
- The buttons are used to copy, move, delete, rename, find or check the sizes of files, folders and disks, or to eject or unmount disks.
- The Path menu shows any folder in the path to the items shown, or the drive or the desktop, you can move to any location in the path by selecting it from this menu.
- The Drives menu is used to select different mounted drives or volumes. If you are in a folder, use the "Add (folder name)" command to add the folder to the drive's Jump-to submenu, allowing you to jump to that folder from anywhere by selecting it from the Drives menu.
When viewing the desktop, any disks or mounted volumes are named at the top of the list window in bold characters. Dimmed characters indicated a disk that has been ejected, but not yet unmounted. Also shown is how much space is used on each disk, and how much storage remains on each disk, in K or MB and in percent. A padlock icon indicates a locked disk.
If you have files or folders on the desktop, they are listed in plain text below the disks or volumes. (Any aliases are listed in italics.)
Simply double-click the listing for a disk to see the contents of the disk. To return to the desktop, select "Desktop" from the Path menu or press Command-D.
Information about the kind, size, date created and date modified for each file is shown in the appropriate columns. If the file is locked, a padlock icon appears under the Lock column heading.
You can select items with the mouse as you do in the Finder, then click the appropriate button to copy, move, delete, or rename the items. The arrow keys work to move up and down the list, or you can type the first few letters of a file or folder's name.
Double-clicking a file or pressing Command-O will launch the selected file. If a folder is selected, double-clicking or Command-O will open the folder and display its contents.
Press the Command key to see the Command key equivalents for any buttons shown in the DiskTop window.
You can change the way the list of files and folders is sorted by clicking the different column headings above the list.
Above the vertical scroll bar at the right edge of the window is a down-pointing arrow. Click and hold on this to open a menu of different views for the DiskTop window. A primary difference between views is whether the view is Normal or Technical. The Normal view includes columns for Kind and Size. The Technical view provides the Type and Creator instead of the Kind. Instead of the Size column, the Technical view provides Data and Resource columns. In addition, if a technical or custom view is selected, the Get Info dialog box contains more information and more options.
The custom views are all variations of the Technical view.
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Customizing the View
While any of the custom views are selected, you can rearrange, resize or remove columns. The Normal and Technical view are defaults and cannot be altered. To modify the view, hold down the Command and Option keys and...
- to remove columns—drag the column heading up or down until the heading's outline disappears, then release the mouse button.
- to rearrange the columns—move the cursor to the middle of one of the column headings. Press the mouse button and hold it down and drag the column heading outline right or left to the desired location and release the mouse button.
- to insert a column between two other columns—place the left edge of the column heading being moved on any column heading and release the mouse button. The moved column will be inserted to the right of that column.
- to resize the columns—place the cursor on the left or right edge of the rectangle surrounding the column heading. Click and drag the edge of the rectangle left or right to widen or narrow the column. Columns have maximum and minimum sizes. The Locked and Icon columns cannot be resized.
You may create (up to 10) different custom views to best suit your needs for different occasions or tasks. To save the view, select "Save View as..." from the View menu.
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Disk Manipulation and Maintenance
Ejecting Disks
The "Eject" button acts upon the current disk. The current disk is the one listed on the Drives pop-up menu. Using "Eject" you can eject floppy disks, CD or removable cartridges. If you select a hard disk, the "Eject" button remains dimmed.
Unmounting Disks
Unmounting a disk removes it from the desktop and ejects it if it is a floppy disk, CD or ejectable cartridge. The "Unmount" button acts upon the current disk.
You can unmount hard disks this way, but DiskTop asks if you really want to unmount a disk. (You will have to restart or use a special application to remount it.)
Renaming Disks
To rename a floppy disk or a hard disk, just select it (when viewing the desktop) and click "Rename" or press Command-R. DiskTop asks you for the new name.
Erasing Disks
Under System 7, desk accessories are not allowed to erase disks. You can achieve the same end by opening the DiskTop window to view contents of the disk to be erased, pressing Command-A (for Select All), and pressing Command-Option-T (to delete without seeing the "Are you sure..." dialogs for each file). If you are using the Technical view, a "File is busy" message will appear because the desktop file on the disk is selected.
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Finding Files
To find something, click the "Find" button in the DiskTop window or press Command-F. The Find Criteria dialog box opens. Enter the criteria you want DiskTop to use when looking for the files or folders. You can choose one or more options in the Find Criteria dialog box.
Name
Enter text which the file or folder name "contains," "starts with," "ends with" or "matches." Use the pop-up menu between Name and the text entry box to select one of these options.
Type and Creator
Enter a file type (APPL for applications, PICT for Draw files, etc.) that either "is" or "is not" to be matched. You can enter the four-letter code for the file type or creator in the text entry box. The pop-up menu to the right of the text entry box lets you automatically enter the file types or creators.
Created
Select a time period to find all files and folders created during a particular period.
Modified
Select a time period to find all files and folders modified during that period.
Size
Specify a range of sizes of files to find. Specify "zero K to zero K" to find folders.
Note: Remember to uncheck any criteria you do not want to use.
Any currently mounted disks are displayed in the list in the upper right corner. Clicking on one disk will deselect the other disks. Shift-click to select multiple disks to search. You also can use the "Where" button in the lower right part of the dialog box to specify a folder for DiskTop to search.
Click "Find" and DiskTop begins searching the currently selected disk(s). Two lists appear on the left side of the box. When DiskTop finds files or folders with the matching criteria, the file or folder names appear in the top list.
To stop the search, press any key or the mouse button. To resume, click the "Continue" button.
Show the location of the found file or folder by clicking on the name in the top list.
Once you locate the file you are seeking, clicking "Open" attempts to open the file.
Clicking "Go To" (or pressing Command-G) causes DiskTop to open the DiskTop window to the folder or disk root level containing the item you found.
Clicking "Define" (or pressing Command-D) lets you define new search criteria.
Clicking "Cancel" (or pressing Command-.) closes the Find dialog.
Retain to Found Window
You can save the results of your search by clicking "Retain" or pressing Command-R. The files and folders that you found are placed in a Found window. The found window operates like the standard DiskTop window.
Clicking "Find" in the Found window takes you back to the Find Criteria dialog box.
Clicking "Append to Retain" or pressing Command-A allows you to add the results of subsequent searches to the files that you have already found.
Note: You can switch back and forth between the Find Criteria dialog box and the Found window. However, if you switch the view from the Found window to the standard DiskTop window (by using the Path pop-up menu or opening a folder), the information in the Found window will be lost. To reclaim it, perform another search using the same search criteria.
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File and Folder Maintenance
Selecting Files and Folders
- You can use the up and down arrows to move up and down in the DiskTop window to highlight a desired file or folder.
- You can hold down the Shift key while clicking with the mouse to select multiple files or folders. (Shift-clicking on an already selected file or folder will deselect it without disturbing other selected files or folders.)
- To select several files and folders in a row, hold down the Shift key and drag through the names.
- If you click on an item and hold down the Command key and click another item, all items between the two items will be selected.
- To select all files and folders in the current window, press Command-A. (To deselect all files and folders, press Command-Option-A.)
Creating Folders
Move to the location in which you want the new folder to appear, and select "New Folder..." from the DiskTop menu (or press Command-N), and DiskTop will ask you for a name for the new folder.
Using the Jump-to Submenu
The Jump-to submenu is used to quickly switch to a particular location on a drive. If you find you often need to see the contents of a particular folder (or the root level of a drive), place it in the Jump-to submenu.
Open the desired folder. Pull down the Drives menu. The last item in the menu is "Add (folder name)." Select this item and the folder will be listed in the submenu.
To remove an item from the Jump-to submenu, select it from the menu. The DiskTop window will switch to that location. The last item in the Drives menu will now read "Remove (folder or disk name)." Select the "Remove..." command to delete the folder from the drive's Jump-to submenu.
The Jump-to submenu works by tracking the directory ID of the folder. You can move the folder (listed in the Jump-to submenu) to other locations on the disk, but it must remain on the disk.
If you rename a folder that is listed in the Jump-to submenu, the name will remain unchanged in the submenu until you select the folder name. Then an alert box will tell you that the folder was renamed and the name in the Jump-to submenu will be changed.
Copying Files and Folders
The procedure described here is very simple. Basically, you select the files/folder you wish to copy, then choose a location to store the copies.
Select the files and/or folders you want to copy and click "Copy" (or press Command-C). DiskTop lets you choose where to store the copies of the selected files and/or folders with a dialog box.
The upper right corner shows the name of the disk and the free space on the disk, as well as the space needed to copy the selected file(s) and folder(s).
The window (in the dialog box) shows the folders in the selected disk or folder. Click the "Show both Files/Folders" to also see files within the selected disk or folder. (This button then reads "Show only Folders." Clicking it will return the folder-only view.) You can use the Drives pop-up menu and the pop-up menu above the list of files/folders to see the contents of different folders and drives. Use the buttons and pull-down menus to locate the folder where you want the copies to go. You can also use the arrow keys to move between folders.
Click on the top button in the "Copy to" area (or press Command-1) to copy those files to the selected disk/folder. Click on the second button in the "Copy to" area to copy the files to the folder highlighted in the top window. If you want to put the file(s) you copy into a new folder, click on the "New Folder..." button.
Note: If the disk is locked, the buttons are dimmed and a small padlock indicates that you cannot copy files to the disk.
Replacing Files and Folders with the Same Names
If a file or folder with the same name already is present in the folder or on the disk to which you are copying, DiskTop displays a dialog box that tells you so.
If you hold down the Option key and click "Copy," DiskTop does not show this dialog box at all and automatically replaces the file/folder with the selected file/folder. (You can also press Command-Option-C to start the copy and bypass the dialog box.)
Important note: DiskTop will replace folders with files if they both have the same name, so be very careful when replacing. Also, folders replace folders completely, so if there is a file in the folder being replaced that is not in the folder being copied, that file will be lost.
Duplicating Files and Folders
If you copy a file or folder without specifying a new location for the copy, DiskTop appends "Copy" to the end of the name of the file or folder that it creates and places it in the same folder or disk as the original. The files inside a copied folder retain their original names (i.e., the folder has "Copy" added to its name, but the files inside it do not). In this manner you can "duplicate" files.
If adding "Copy" to the file or folder name would make it too long, DiskTop produces an error message. Rename the file or folder to something shorter and try again.
When There's Not Enough Room
If you try to copy a file(s) and/or folder(s) to a disk that doesn't have enough room to hold all the selected files/folders, DiskTop starts copying in the order the selected files/folders appear in the DiskTop window. When it gets to a file or folder that won't fit, DiskTop tells you so with a dialog box.
Moving Files and Folders
Moving files and folders from one folder to another on the same disk is very fast, as the files or folders being "moved" are not actually touched. The "pointers" your Macintosh uses to find those files simply are pointed to the new location.
Select the files and/or folders you want to move and click "Move" (or press Command-M). Use the dialog box that appears to select a new location for the files/folders. If the disk is locked, the buttons are dimmed and a small padlock indicates that you cannot move files to the disk.
You also can use the Option key (as you can with Copy) to bypass the replace warnings and immediately replace files.
Like Copy, if there is not enough room to move all the selected files/folders, DiskTop does not delete any files or folders not moved.
Warning: If you tell DiskTop to continue moving a folder when there is insufficient space, it creates the folder on the target volume first. So when it checks after the Move step, it will see that the folder was moved but that the move was incomplete, so it asks if you want to delete the original folder (and tells you how many files remain in it). If you tell DiskTop to delete the folder, it will delete all files within it, including those that were not moved.
Replacing Files and Folders When Moving
When moving a group of files/folders, if a file or folder with the same name already is present in the folder or on the disk to which you are moving, DiskTop displays a dialog box telling you so.
Important Note: DiskTop will replace folders with files if they both have the same name, so be very careful when replacing. Also, folders replace folders completely, so if there is a file in the folder being replaced that is not in the folder being moved, that file will be lost.
Renaming Files and Folders
Select the files and/or folders you wish to rename, then click "Rename" (or press Command-R) to see the Rename dialog box. Type in the new name (or edit the name already there) and click "Rename."
Deleting Files and Folders
Select the files and folders you wish to delete, then click "Delete" (or press Command-T). DiskTop will confirm that you intend to delete with a dialog box. You can skip all the confirm delete dialogs by holding down the Option key when clicking the "Delete" button (or press Command-Option-T).
Get Info
You can get (and change) information about files, folders and disks with DiskTop. Select the files and/or folders or disks for which you want information, then select "Get Info" from the DiskTop menu (or press Command-I).
If you selected multiple items, the information dialog box for the next file is displayed after you close the current dialog box.
The Preferences dialog box for DiskTop offers Normal and Technical level options and the View menu offers Technical and Normal views. If set for normal, DiskTop displays the smaller Get Info dialog box. If set for technical (or one of the custom views), the larger Get Info dialog box is presented.
Normal Level
In the upper left corner is the icon, the name of the file/folder/disk, the kind and size of the file/folder/disk, which volume it is on, the creation date and time, the modification date and time and the version information of the file. Documents, disks and folders usually do not have version information, but applications, cdevs, INITs and RDEVs usually do.
Technical Level
The upper left corner of the Technical level Get Info dialog box provides the information given in the Normal level Get Info box and also gives the directory ID number used by the system to find the file or folder (given in hexadecimal and decimal). In the upper right corner of the box are the type and creator of the file. (Folders and disks do not have types or creators.) You can change the type or creator for any file by entering the four-letter code in the box.
Changing the Type
Applications examine the type of files to determine if they can open them. You can change the four-letter type code to "fool" the application into opening a file it ordinarily would not open.
Changing the Creator
When you double-click a document, your Macintosh examines the creator listed for the document to determine which application created the document. Then it launches that application and opens the document. You can change the creator, and thus cause the document to open under a different application.
Attributes
(Disks do not use attributes.) To change any of the attributes, click in the box next to the attribute you want to set or clear. It is not a good idea to change any of these attributes unless you know what you're doing.
Comments Box
At the bottom of the Get Info dialog box is the Comments box. Above it are two buttons, "DT Info" and "Apple Info." The Finder also produces a Get Info dialog box and has a comments field. If the "Apple Info" button is selected, any text in the Comments box of the Finder's Get Info dialog box for this file is shown in the DiskTop Get Info dialog box.
You can enter any information about the file in the Comments box. An advantage to using the DT Info comments is that the Apple Info comments are deleted if you rebuild your desktop, but DT Info comments remain unchanged when the desktop is rebuilt.
You cannot enter DT Info about folders, but you can enter Apple Info about folders.
Comments entered when "Apple info" is selected appear both in the DiskTop Get Info dialog box and in the Finder's Get Info dialog box.
Change or Cancel
If you change the type or creator, or any of the attributes, or make changes in the Comments box, and decide not to implement the changes, click "Cancel" to leave them the way they were. Click "Change" or press Enter to have your changes take effect. (Pressing Return will place a carriage return in the Comments field.) If you selected multiple files, the information dialog box for the next file or folder is displayed after clicking "Change" or "Cancel."
Creating Aliases
Select the file, folder or disk for which you want to create an alias and select "Make Alias..." from the DiskTop menu. A Make Alias dialog box will appear.
Use it like the Copy and Move dialog boxes to tell DiskTop where to place the alias. Aliases are listed in italics in the DiskTop window.
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Additional Functions
Print List
You can print a list of the current contents of the DiskTop window using the Print List command. To print a list, select "Print List..." from the DiskTop menu or press Command-P. DiskTop displays the Page Setup dialog box and then the Print dialog box. Adjust all the settings and click "OK" in both dialog boxes, and DiskTop prints the list.
Save List
You also can create a text listing of the contents of the DiskTop window. To save a list, select "Save List..." from the DiskTop menu. DiskTop displays a Save As dialog box where you can name the list and save it to disk as a tab-delimited text file.
Path
If you want to see a graphic representation of the location of one or more files or folders on your disk, select the files and/or folders in the DiskTop window or the Found window. Select "Path..." from the DiskTop menu or press Command-L. A dialog box appears with the path to the files and/or folders. You can close the dialog box or print the path. Click "Done" to close the dialog box. Click "Print" to open the Page Setup and then the Print dialog boxes. Adjust all the settings and click "OK" in both dialog boxes, and DiskTop prints the path for all the listed files.
If you need to record the path to a file so you or someone else can find it later, click the name of the drive at the top of the path to the file and click "Copy Path." The path will be recorded to the Clipboard in text format. If you selected a large number of files or folders, DiskTop may not be able to show the paths to all at once. If this happens, the "More..." button is highlighted. Click it to display the remainder of the paths.
Getting Privileges
The "Get Privileges..." command in DiskTop adds the functions of the Sharing... command in the Finder or the Get Privileges desk accessory. This lets you see and change the privileges for folders on AppleShare servers or compatibles without quitting your current application to return to the Finder.
If you have an AppleShare Server volume mounted, you can choose one of the folders on it and select "Get Privileges..." from the DiskTop menu. The Privileges box shows you all the information about the folder.
The upper portion of the Privileges box shows you where the server is located, how you are logged onto the server, and what your privileges are for the selected folder. In the middle of the Privileges box, you can see who owns the folder and the owner's group. At the bottom of the box are the privileges for the selected folder.
If you are the owner of the folder, you can make changes to the privileges and save your changes by clicking "Save." You can click the "Cancel" button to close the dialog box without saving any changes you made.
If you are not the owner of the folder, you cannot make any changes to the privileges. The "Save" button is replaced by an "OK" button.
Restarting and Shutting Down
Like the Finder, DiskTop also has Restart and Shut Down capabilities. Selecting "Restart" from the DiskTop menu causes DiskTop to quit the open applications and close all open DAs–giving you an opportunity to save your work. Then it restarts your Macintosh.
Selecting "Shut Down" from the DiskTop menu causes DiskTop to quit the open application(s) and close all open DAs–giving you an opportunity to save your work. Then it shuts down your Macintosh. (It may first display a dialog box telling you it is safe to power down.)
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Setting Your Preferences
Level
Here, you choose the amount of file and folder information you see in DiskTop. You can select "Normal" or "Technical," just as you can from the View menu.
"Locked Normal" was suggested by a network manager who did not want typical users modifying the attributes, types and creators of files. If you click "Save" with "Locked Normal" selected, you will not be allowed to reset your preferences to the Technical level.
Show Size
You can choose how sizes and space are displayed in the Kind, Data and Resource columns. Choose from bytes or K (kilobytes).
Show Info
Here, you choose whether the DT Info or the Apple Info appears in the Comments box when DiskTop's Get Info dialog box opens. No matter which you choose, you can always select the other one in DiskTop's Get Info dialog.
Open To
Use these options to choose what you see when you first open DiskTop, the contents of the desktop or the contents of a disk or folder.
Desktop—If you select "Desktop," DiskTop opens to show the items on the desktop.
Files—If you select "Files," DiskTop will open to a location other than the desktop. Where it opens depends on the settings selected for "Open Directory to:," described below.
Open Directory To
These options determine what files/folders will be in view, whenever you open a disk in the DiskTop window.
Root—If you select "Root," the root level of the selected disk will appear.
Current location—"Current location" is dimmed on System 7 machines. (System 7 allows each program to have its own current location. If used, this choice would always open DiskTop to the Apple Menu Items folder—which would not be very useful.)
Last location—This option causes DiskTop to open to the location that was selected the last time you viewed the contents of a folder or disk.
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DiskTop are DT Launch are trademarks of PrairieSoft, Inc. CEToolbox is a trademark of CE Software, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
